During a symbolic visit to Aix-en-Provence, Prince Albert II honoured centuries of Grimaldi heritage and was inducted as an honorary member of the city’s prestigious academy.
On 30th September, Prince Albert II made an official visit to Aix-en-Provence to mark the city’s entry into the Grimaldi Historic Sites of Monaco network, a cultural and historical initiative launched by the Prince in 2015. Speaking in the Salle des États de Provence, he reflected on centuries of ties between the Grimaldi dynasty and the city.
“Honoré II of Monaco arrived in Aix on 28th October 1646,” recalled the Prince. “He was welcomed, as Duke and Peer of France, at the Parliament of Provence, and declared that he would ‘gladly pour out [his] blood, if the good of the State and this body in particular required it’.”
The Prince also reminded his hosts that Cardinal Jérôme Grimaldi served as Archbishop of Aix for nearly four decades. A commemorative plaque in his memory was unveiled during the Prince’s visit to the former archiepiscopal palace.
A personal honour and academic tribute
Later in the day, at the Musée Arbaud, Prince Albert was admitted as an honorary member of the Académie des sciences, agriculture, arts et belles-lettres d’Aix. “To become an honorary member of your academy honours me, of course; but above all, it moves me,” he said.
Quoting his great-great-grandfather Prince Albert I, the Prince added: “The green coat of the Institut de France ‘imprints upon the worker a mark of modern nobility’. That is the same sense of nobility I see in the distinction you confer upon me today.”
From Cézanne to Sainte-Victoire, a cultural journey
The visit also embraced Aix’s cultural heritage, with Prince Albert touring the Hôtel de Caumont for the exhibition Niki de Saint Phalle – Le bestiaire magique, and the Musée Granet’s Cézanne au Jas de Bouffan. Two portraits of his ancestors – Prince Honoré II and Cardinal Jérôme Grimaldi – were specially presented to him.
Concluding the day, the Prince quoted Jacqueline de Romilly’s poetic words about Aix’s Sainte-Victoire: “A true ‘living being, whose moods are consulted and whose changing face is endlessly admired’.”
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Photo: Prince Albert II with two portraits of his ancestors – Prince Honoré II and Cardinal Jérôme Grimaldi, credit: Frédéric Nebinger, Prince’s Palace